Returning A Favor
by steeltoedsandal
Summary: A message from Konoha to the Kazekage brings upsetting news. Uzumaki Naruto has been captured and is in enemy custody! Gaara immediately joins the rescue team to save everyone's favorite ramen freak. Will he make it in time to save his friend? This is my first story, so any advice or help is appreciated. Please read and review.
1. Just Another Day at the Office

**A/N: **This is my first attempt at writing my own story, and any feedback is appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me.

**CHAPTER 1**

_Another Day at the Office_

* * *

As dusk set on the Village Hidden in the Sand, the Fifth Kazekage let out a deep sigh. He glanced down at the mountain of paperwork on his desk, groaned, and sighed again.

"_I'll make better progress on it tomorrow_."

Gaara rose from his chair, and walked out to his office porch overlooking the village. He took in the now familiar view and smiled to himself. 'These are my people that I have sworn to protect, and I will not let them down.' The Kazekage summoned his sand and rose into the early night to begin his nightly rounds. He had recently begun a habit of checking up on the guard posts around the village after his work was done for the day, and he was finding it to be very insightful. As he approached the first guard post, the Sand shinobi on duty snapped to attention and saluted.

"Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara replied, "At ease. How are things progressing so far?"

The ninja on duty relaxed, "As well as can be expected, Kazekage. Everything has been quiet so far, just the way I like it."

"Stay vigilant, Junpei. You never know what is out there," said Gaara. Junpei nodded in agreement as the Kazekage rose on his sand disappeared from view. "He remembered my name," Junpei happily thought to himself.

Gaara floated on his sand through the ever darkening evening to continue his nightly routine. He really enjoyed getting to know the people of his village, the people he swore to be strong for. "_Tonight reminds me of when I was abducted by Akatsuki_." He grimaced at the painful memory. His fight with the explosives expert, Deidara, had forced him to project a giant sand barrier to cover the entire village. He had fallen unconscious after that, knowing that he at least saved his village. When Gaara had woken up, the whole village had been by his side, which had made it all worth it. Most of all though, Gaara had been happy to see Naruto. Gaara was not about to forget that Naruto had saved his life again. The young Kage wanted to reward Naruto, but he was always busy with his duties as Kazekage. With a grumble, Gaara descended to the guards at the village entrance. The two sand kunoichi turned and saluted.

"Kazekage-sama!"

"Relax." The sand kunoichi complied. "Is everything well?" continued Gaara.

"Yes Kazekage-sama. This is just your normal boring guard shift. Sometimes I wonder if we are doing any good out here," grumbled the young kunoichi.

The other guard on duty gasped in disbelief at her friend's disrespect. "CHIE! Don't spout such nonsense! Especially in front of the Kazekage!" exclaimed the kunoichi. She turned and lowered her head to Gaara. "Please accept my deepest apologies, Kazekage-sama. We still have a lot to learn."

The young Kage simply nodded. Turning to Chie, he said "I can understand why you might feel that this is a waste of time. However, don't make the mistake of thinking your job isn't important. I don't make everyone perform guard duty for no reason. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." With that parting remark, he rose into the night to perform his last check.

When Chie was sure that the Kazekage was out of earshot, she turned to her fellow guard. "What does he even mean by that Yukiko?! I mean, I respect him because he is the Kazekage and all, but why does he have to be so damn vague?!" she exclaimed.

Yukiko shrugged, "I have no idea, Chie, that's just the way he is. Let's talk about this later ok? When we aren't on guard duty?

Chie reluctantly agreed. "Fine, you win Yukiko."

Gaara was lost in thought as he approached the final post on his rounds. He was trying to think of ideas for new jutsu, but was just too drained from the day. He was tired of dealing with the council and the missions and all of the daily trials of being a Kage. "_I need a vacation_." He chuckled to himself. "Like that would ever happen. This village needs me too much." As Gaara approached the shinobi on duty, he forestalled the incoming salute with his sand, surprising the man.

"I don't need to be saluted everywhere I go. Just report please."

The shinobi on duty was taken a bit off guard, but gathered his thoughts and cleared his throat. "Everything is going fine this evening, Kazekage-sama. Having a rough day on the job?" He quipped. Gaara nodded. "I guess you could say that. I'm always taking care of new issues and trying to solve old problems. I'm a bit irritated."

The shinobi chuckled. "Don't let it get to you sir, we appreciate everything you do for us and the village. We are proud to have you as our Kazekage."

Gaara nodded, summoned his sand, and descended away from the guard post. He was still getting used to interacting with his soldiers, and this late in the day, he was getting impatient. He knew that it wasn't necessarily the right thing to do, but at least some people understood that his life was dedicated to the village. Satisfied that his guard checks were successful, the young Kage returned to his quarters to rest for the day ahead.

The next morning after training with his siblings, Gaara sat back down at his desk. Was he delusional, or did his paperwork mountain become larger overnight? He shook his head and began to look over a proposed addition to the standard shinobi field kit. He was in the middle of writing a suggestion when suddenly, a shinobi burst into his office breathing heavily. Gaara stood up from his desk with his sand at the ready, fuming that there was a problem this early in the day. Then he took a closer look at the mystery shinobi, recognizing her by her unique bubble gum pink hair. Gaara decided there wasn't any use in stalling.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

With a sob she replied, "It's Naruto. He's been captured!"

* * *

Sorry for the cliff hanger in the very first chapter. I wanted my story to start off in an exciting manner. **PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. **Or send me a PM. Whatever you like. I plan on making this story entertaining, so if you like it please stick with it. If not, that's fine too.

Steeltoedsandal


	2. Gather the Troops

**A/N:** I neglected to give the scenario last time. This story takes place right after the Pain Arc. Feel free to Read and Review or PM me any suggestions. I plan on taking this story a long way.

**Shoutouts: **

1. To my first reviewer! I hope you enjoy this chaper also.

2. To my friend for betaing this story for me.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me.

**CHAPTER 2**

_Gather the Troops_

* * *

Gaara's face paled. Uzumaki Naruto had been captured. He was the one who had shown him the meaning of strength. The meaning of friendship. He was the one who had brought him out of his darkness. Now, he was in the enemy's hands. Head spinning, he fell back into his chair.

Sakura moved to stabilize the young Kage.

"I'm FINE!" He growled. Sakura recoiled at his outburst.

Gaara, seeing Sakura's discomfort, tried to remedy the situation.

"I'm fine," he said soothingly. "Just... tell me everything you know."

As Sakura was about to start her story, Temari and Kankuro rushed in, their ninja tools out and ready for a fight. Seeing that Gaara wasn't in immediate danger like she had first believed, she relaxed a little and closed her war fan. She still had questions, though.

"Gaara, what the HELL is going on?! We saw this shinobi rush past the guards into your office. We feared the worst. Is everything ok?"

"I am fine sister, but everything is not well. Sakura brings grave news from Konoha." He wanted to tell his siblings the distressing news, but he didn't believe them to be true. He continued, "Have everyone we can trust gather in the council meeting room in an hour. We'll discuss this new situation then. Everything else waits."

Temari and Kankuro exchanged a look. Their brother only used that tone of voice when he needed something done immediately, and there was no arguing with him.

"Right away, Kazekage. We'll round them up right now. Let's go Temari," replied Kankuro. Temari nodded, and followed her brother out the door. "I sure hope everything is ok," she thought out loud.

After his siblings had left the room, he turned back to Sakura. "I sure hope you didn't come here by yourself, Sakura. I want to help, but unless this is a specific request from the Leaf, than I can't help you."

"No, Kazekage, it's official, I have the official message from Lady Tsunade herself. I'll get it now." She fumbled through her ninja pouches. "Which one did I put it in?" As she searched, she became more and more anxious. She turned to the Kazekage. "I have it I swear. I remember putting it in my left pouch and then…"

Gaara, for his part, was also getting increasingly anxious. Every second that Sakura spent looking for the note from the Leaf was a second that Gaara could be preparing his gear to go rescue Naruto.

Sakura turned back to Gaara, barely holding back tears. "I must have dropped it! Stupid! Stupid! STUPID ME!"

"Looking for this?"

Sakura and Gaara both turned to face the new voice.

A silver-haired man with a leaf headband over one eye held out a scroll in his hand.

"Tsk, Tsk, Sakura. After you took off running at the gate, we had to explain the situation to the guards. If you hadn't taken off, we could have all been here briefing the Kazekage instead of you bursting in here and causing a mess," he chided.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei. I shouldn't have run off like that. But I had to tell Gaara!" she exclaimed.

Kakashi nodded. "Of course, Sakura. Why do you think we are here? But next time, follow procedure properly and above all, keep security of all important documents. Kami help us if this got into the wrong hands."

Sakura could no longer hold her own against Kakashi's stern gaze. "I'm sorry. I panicked. Again!" she groaned.

Kakashi eye smiled. He turned to Gaara, and handed him the scroll. "My apologies, Kazekage. My comrade here was just a little worried about Naruto."

"As are we all," chimed in Sai, sliding in behind Kakashi.

Gaara nodded and tentatively unrolled the scroll and began reading.

_Kazekage Gaara,_

_With this message comes some disturbing news. Naruto Uzumaki has been captured. As you can imagine, this poses a huge security risk to both of our villages. I have half of Konoha trying to track him down currently, but I am deciding to request your help as a gesture of trust. Kakashi and his team can assist you and will share the details, but only if you agree to help. If you can spare any troops, I might be able to make it worth your while.  
_

_The Sixth Hokage_

_Danzo Shimura  
_

Gaara looked up from the message to see Kakashi, Sakura, and Sai looking at him with expectant expressions.

"It seems that the Hokage is requesting our help. I would be happy to assist you."

Sakura squealed.

"However," he continued, "Save the details for the meeting. I don't want you to have to repeat yourself.

Kakashi nodded gratefully. "I would appreciate that. Let's go now team, we've delivered our message." Team 7 filed out of the office, leaving Gaara alone once again.

Gaara stepped out of his office to his porch that overlooked the village. 'Naruto. You are fortunate to have such good and dependable friends that worry about you. I just hope that you are unharmed and we are not too late.' The young Kage summoned turned back inside and headed toward the council room.

* * *

"Is everyone here?" Gaara asked, looking over questioningly at his brother.

"Yes, Gaara, all those necessary are present. Although Temari was a little um… enthusiastic rounding them up," Kankuro chuckled.

"Hmph!" Temari turned away with her arms crossed and nose in the air. She was still angry her brother hadn't told her what was going on.

The young Kage just shrugged. He turned to scan the room, seeing Kakashi and his team, looking anxious. He glanced at the council members he trusted, the few who had gone above and beyond to prove their loyalty to the Sand over the past years. Strangely, they all seemed to have slightly windblown and unkempt appearances, no doubt because of Temari. He held back a smile, and cleared his throat.

He began, "I have called an emergency meeting today for one purpose only. Naruto Uzumaki… has been captured. I just received word from Konoha about an hour ago."

The advisors were stunned. How could Naruto have been captured? He had just defeated Pain of the Six Paths for goodness sake! They murmured amongst themselves, exchanging theories.

Kankuro felt like someone had taken a hammer to his chest. The blonde-haired midget had been captured? He thought, "I know we kind of got off on the wrong foot back at the Chuunin exams, but he turned out to be an alright guy, especially since he went so far to rescue Gaara from Akatsuki a while back. I thought he would be smart enough to stay out of trouble for a while. I wonder how that happened."

Temari, for her part, was so shocked that she had to lean on her war fan for support. "The little blonde boy who had saved her brother from himself was now captured? How in the world did that ramen freak get in so much trouble? He even beat Gaara before he became Kazekage!" She was very worried though, both for Naruto and for her brother.

The room became louder as the theories became wilder.

Gaara, seeing this, cleared his throat to get the room's attention. The murmurs died down quickly. "Jonin Kakashi from the Leaf has the details." He motioned for Kakashi to begin.

Kakashi was impressed at how easily the Kazekage had calmed the tense room. He pushed the thought to the back of his mind and began, "This is obviously a great security risk for both of our villages, knowing the recent trend of captured Jinchuuriki. The Hokage is calling in a favor, so to speak, requesting the Sand to send any resources possible to help find and rescue Naruto. All we really have is a note from the captor to go on."

Kakashi reached into his vest, and produced a small piece of parchment. He handed it to the young Kage, who began reading furiously.

_I have taken this pathetic excuse of a ninja so I can unlock his true potential. Don't worry though, I won't kill him until he outlives his usefulness. How long that will be, however depends on him. Although, if I see so much as a Leaf headband anywhere close to me and the whelp, I won't hesitate to end him. And after that, you will wish that Pain had destroyed the Leaf ten times over when I'm finished with your pathetic village._

Gaara scowled as he finished reading the note. He looked up and turned to face Kakashi. "Is there anything else we have to go on?"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "No Kazekage, our intelligence division is working around the clock and almost all of the Inazuka clan is trying to find his scent. Anyone that can be spared in the Leaf is contributing whatever they can to help find him," the silver haired Jonin finished lamely.

Gaara's scowl deepened. Temari, seeing her brother in such distress, tried to reassure him by putting a hand on his shoulder. Gaara turned.

"Don't worry, little brother," she began. "We thought we wouldn't get to you in time either."

The Kazekage feeling somewhat comforted turned to face Kakashi once more. "What is your personal theory Kakashi?

Kakashi shrugged. "I think only someone who knew the Leaf extremely well could have pulled something like this off, so it's probably a Leaf missing-nin. We can't even find a trace of either of them. We have almost no idea what we are dealing with. However, even if we find Naruto, we can't rescue him."

Gaara fumed. "Why. Not?" he said coldly.

Kakashi shrugged again. "It's because of how the captor's note is worded. The Leaf can't face devastation like Pain brought upon us. The Leaf will be crushed again, and this time without Naruto to save us," he finished candidly.

Gaara stood up, his anger at Kakashi's nonchalance reaching a boiling point. He could hold back no longer. "So your comrade is captured and that's IT! The Leaf gives up?! Why did you even waste your time by coming here?! To tell me that it's hopeless? YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED TO CALL YOURSELF A NINJA! I'LL GO FIND HIM MYSELF THEN!" He turned to leave, but found his way blocked by Kankuro.

"Move, brother!" Gaara threatened.

"I refuse. Listen to what I have to say," Kankuro said coolly.

"YOU DON'T GET IT! I HAVE TO SAVE HIM! MOVE. NOW!" Gaara barked

Kankuro shook his head. "No, you don't get it, Gaara. It's not that they are giving up on Naruto! They are asking us to lead the rescue! Look at the captor's note. It says a **_LEAF_** headband. The Hokage is being cautious by asking us, the Sand. Do you blame him? The most powerful Jinchuuriki has just been captured from his own territory. How do you think we felt when you were captured?!" Kankuro exclaimed.

The young Kage turned to Kakashi, his anger slightly cooling. "Is this true?"

Kakashi nodded. "That was his original intention, but he didn't want to risk putting it in writing to lower the security risk of the message delivery. There is no way that I would ever abandon my comrade and my student," he replied with conviction.

Gaara turned back to Kankuro. "I should have let you finish, Kankuro. I apologize."

Kankuro smiled. "Don't worry about it Gaara. What kind of brother would I be if I didn't knock some sense into every once in a while?" Kankuro joked.

Temari's eyes widened. To her memory, Gaara had only apologized once. After their return to the Sand after the failed invasion of Konoha, he had apologized for what he had put them through growing up. And here he was now, apologizing to her brother in the middle of a meeting in front of everybody. She was impressed and proud of Gaara for the way he was handling this. Even though Gaara had been Kazekage for a while now, she could see that her brother was always maturing and learning.

Sakura spoke up. "Naruto is important to all of us, Kazekage. We would never abandon him."

The young Kage sighed. "I'm glad to hear that. However, I want your team to be rested and fully alert for the rescue tomorrow. Meet my siblings and me at the front gate at 0400. See you then."

Kakashi nodded. "Let's go, Sai, Sakura," he called.

After the Leaf shinobi had left, he sat back down. "Now, since that's decided, let's go over how things will be when I am out," the Kazekage said. Gaara spent the rest of the day organizing procedures and protocols with Baki and his advisors for while he was gone. After he finished, Gaara conducted his nightly security checks and retired to his chambers.

Gaara lay on top of his bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought and worry for his friend. 'It seems I finally have my chance to return the favor, Naruto.'

* * *

The young Kage and his siblings met their Leaf counterparts at the gate early the next morning. He looked at the group's determined faces and felt reassured that their mission would succeed. Gaara addressed the gathered ninja.

"Now let's go save our friend."

* * *

Well, I hope you like this chapter, and I hope that you don't hold it against me that I started this story off with a cliffhanger.** Please remember to read and review** for any suggestions for me, or PM me any questions that you may have.

Steeltoedsandal


	3. Worse than Trash

**A/N: This took way longer than I wanted it to. My superiors switched me from the night shift to the day shift, and I am just now getting used to it. The fifteen and sixteen hour days end on friday though, so that's good. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Misashi Kishimoto, not me. If I owned Naruto, I would commision a full scale landscaping project to recreate the Valley of The End to scale in the backyard of my mansion.**

Chapter 3

_Worse than Trash_

* * *

The small group of allied shinobi had been traveling at top speed since early that morning. They were all extremely tired, but tried not to show it. They all had one goal; to find and rescue Naruto Uzumaki. Gaara had been leading the group through the Sand, setting a blistering pace. He knew that he could go straight through the night to Konoha, but realized that his companions needed rest in order to function unlike him. The Kazekage raised his right hand and curled it into a fist, signaling a halt. The group happily complied.

Gaara turned to address the group. "We'll break camp here. We still have far to go before we reach Konoha. Rest up, and we'll leave early tomorrow morning. Naruto is counting on us." finished the redhead.

The weary group nodded in affirmation and quickly went about setting their gear down for the night, earnest to get some sleep.

The young Kage was inwardly satisfied at how things had gone so far. The six ninja had traveled all the way to the Konoha side of the border, much farther than he had anticipated. Normally the distance between the two hidden villages dictated a three day trip. However, Gaara had been setting such a fast pace that it was entirely possible to get to Konohagure by the next night, therefore cutting a whole day out of travel time. Therefore wasting a whole day that could be spent searching for Naruto.

Before they could get fully settled in, Gaara approached his siblings where they were setting up their sleeping gear. He walked up to Kankuro and Temari and stood silently.

Temari noticed her brother first. "What's up?" she questioned.

"Walk with me." He turned and walked away to look at the surroundings while he waited for them to get up.

She shrugged in compliance. Kankuro, however, turned over on his side. Fuming at her older brother's lack of care, Temari got up and forcefully prodded Kankuro's prone form with her fan.

"If you don't get up right now, I'm going to stick this fan so far up your..."

"Alright, alright! Sheesh! I'm getting up! I'm getting up!" said Kankuro nervously, interrupting his sister's threat.

Temari grinned. "Good, now let's go. Gaara is waiting on us." As the puppet master rose, she gestured ahead. "Ladies first," she said with a smirk.

"Ha. Ha. You're so funny. Just because I wear face paint doesn't mean you get to make stupid jokes, sis." Kankuro sneered.

The wind mistress frowned. She hated when her Kankuro called her "sis".

Knowing he had pissed her off, Kankuro got up with his hands in a placating gesture. "Let's go see what he wants, Temari. I just want to get some sleep," stated the Jonin.

Temari nodded reluctantly. What she really wanted to do was to destroy one of her brother's beloved puppets for pissing her off, but she was tired as well, so she fell in behind Kankuro and walked with him over to Gaara.

"Sit down."

They complied, forming a small circle.

"I'm concerned," he stated.

"We're all concerned about Naruto, Gaara. What's this really about?" asked Kankuro.

"I am referring to Danzo. From what Kakashi has told me, he is a very dangerous man. And he is the one to succeed Tsunade as Hokage," Gaara said.

"So what? He asked for our help? What are you worried about? He won't try any funny business if we are serving the Leaf's needs. Plus, you can probably take him right?" Kankuro asked.

Gaara shook his head. "That is not what I meant. I think he is going to try something while we are in Konoha, but I have no idea what it is yet. His letter requesting our help implied that he wanted to make some sort of deal, but I'll have to talk with the man to ascertain his true intentions."

The blonde Jonin nodded in understanding. "So you want us to be on the lookout for anything that might be watching us right?" she asked.

"Something like that," the redhead agreed.

Kankuro groaned. "Well if that's it, I'm going to bed. I'll see you tomorrow," he stated. Kankuro got up and angrily stomped back to his sleeping bag.

Temari looked at Gaara and sensed his inner turmoil. "We'll save him, Gaara. He'll be fine. Do you know any other ninja who is more stubborn than that ramen freak? There is no way that he will die yet," she said jokingly.

The young Kage smiled at his sister's attempt to reassure him. "You're right. Now tell the rest that we leave at 0400 tomorrow. And get some sleep," he finished.

"Don't forget that you need rest too, even if you don't realize it. You're very hard on yourself Gaara. Don't be afraid to ask for help, because there are plenty of people willing to give it to you," she replied with concern.

Temari slowly rose and made her way towards the three leaf shinobi to pass on Gaara's planned timeframe for the next morning. She quietly made her way around the campsite to where the three leaf ninja had set up their personal areas. As she approached the first sleeping bag, she heard an odd noise emanating from inside. Curious, she moved around to the head of the sleeping bag, and the source of the strange sound proved to be Hatake Kakashi snoring deeply and loudly. The blonde chuckled at the sight.

_'Who knew that the famed copy ninja Kakashi snored in his sleep? I'll have to store that nugget away for later.'_

The wind mistress decided to let Kakashi sleep in peace, and moved on to the next sleeping bag, which belonged to Sai. Unfortunately for her, he was asleep as well. Temari dragged herself to the final sleeping bag, where Sakura was sitting on top of her sleeping bag and staring off into the distance. The jonin calmly walked up to her fellow kunoichi.

"Can't sleep?" Temari quipped.

Sakura snapped out of her accidental stupor and nodded. "Yeah. I'm a wreck right now," she said pitifully.

"Want to talk about it?" offered Temari. "I do owe you after all. You saved both of my brothers."

The pink-haired kunoichi brightened at Temari's kindness. "I was just doing my job, but since I can't really sleep, I don't mind talking. Have a seat," she said while gesturing to her sleeping bag.

Temari complied and sat down across from Sakura on her sleeping bag, crossing her legs underneath her. "So what's on your mind that's keeping you from sleeping after my brother nearly ran us into the ground? Is it Kakashi's snoring" she asked jokingly.

"No it's not Kakashi-sensei. I'm blaming myself right now for letting Naruto get captured. I can't help but beat myself up about it because it's my fault," Sakura said sadly.

The blonde Jonin was taken aback at Sakura's confession. "How is it your fault? You let Naruto get captured? Kakashi didn't say anything like that during the meeting. He just said that Naruto was captured. What did he leave out Sakura?" she demanded.

"What Kakashi-sensei said at the meeting was one hundred percent true. He just didn't know all of the details because I panicked and didn't tell him because I'm a horrible ninja. I'm worse than trash," the chuunin sobbed.

Temari frowned. "Look, Sakura. Throwing a pity party over yourself isn't going to help anything. And it is certainly not going to help us rescue Naruto if you're withholding information from us. So put your big girl pants on, and tell me what happened. Now." Temari said firmly.

Sakura gulped and took a deep breath. "Ok, but wait until I'm finished before you decide to blow me away with your fan. Hopefully you'll understand why I can't sleep or live with myself right now."

The wind mistress sighed. "Alright, this better be good, Sakura."

The leaf shinobi began, "It was a survival training exercise..."

**Flashback**

_Four Days Prior_

"Today's training will be an exercise in survival, awareness, and detection," stated Hatake Kakashi. He addressed Team 7, who had met at the training field early that morning.

"The goal of this exercise will be to identify, locate, and eliminate the other team without making your presences known," he continued.

"All right! This is going to be great! So what are the teams, Kakashi-sensei?!" asked Naruto excitedly.

"I was getting to that before you interrupted me, Naruto" the jonin chided.

"Sorry... hehe" said Naruto as he grinned sheepishly and put his arms behind his head.

"Anyway, the teams will be Naruto and Sakura against Sai and me," Kakashi said. "Remember, this is not a spar. We will only train up to the point where someone would be discovered or incapacitated. I repeat, this is not a spar," he finished while looking pointedly at Naruto.

"C'mon Kakashi-sensei. Are you scared that Sakura-chan and I will beat you again?" Naruto challenged with a grin.

"No, I know for a fact that your stealth skills are lacking and you are out of practice, so I figured this would be a good way for all of us to test our current abilities. If you can prove me wrong though, I'll buy you ramen, Naruto," Kakashi replied.

Motivated by the allure of ramen, Naruto grinned. "All right Kakashi-sensei, get ready to go to the bank because I'm hungry!" the blonde exclaimed.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "All right, you have ten minutes to conceal yourselves and come up with a plan. After the ten minutes are up, we will begin. Remember that the goal of this exercise is location and silent elimination of a hostile ninja. Ready? Begin!"

All four shinobi vanished into the cover of trees. Sakura and Naruto convened in a grove of trees surrounded by foliage.

"All right, Sakura-chan. How do we sneak up on Kakashi-sensei and Sai? I can't really use my Kage Bunshin, but that's all I know. I really want some ramen," Naruto said with a gleam in his eye.

Ignoring her teammate's ramen cravings, she came up with a plan. "All right, let's trick them into following us into a trap that we'll set. But let's make the first trap super obvious so they'll see it, but set a second trap hidden much better next to it to spring on them when they come to investigate the initial trap. Hopefully, that will catch one of them off guard," Sakura said optimistically.

"I like it Sakura-chan. Look underneath the underneath. I bet you could make some great pranks if you set your mind to it," Naruto said. "Where do you want the traps?

Sakura smiled at the compliment. Then she was all business. "All right go set it up by that tree with the gimpy branch back there. I'm going to scope out our surroundings so we can set up the best ambush possible. Meet me at that slanted looking tree when you're done. I'll be back in five minutes," the pink-haired chuunin claimed.

With that parting remark, Sakura set about identifying their surroundings and possible approaches that they could take to incapacitate their targets. After striking out on two possible ambush sites from the ground, she identified a tree that they could drop down from and get an advantage over Kakashi and Sai, even if they recognized that Naruto had set two traps.

_'Perfect.'_

Sakura made her way back to the stump within three minutes, and waited patiently for her partner. After ten minutes however, Sakura started to become anxious.

_'Even for Naruto, two traps shouldn't have taken this long. What is he up to?' _Sakura wondered. _I don't want to leave my concealed vantage point, and it's okay if we get split up right? Naruto probably realized he didn't have enough time to get back here after he set the traps. He can handle himself,' _she reasoned.

After five more minutes, Sakura had reached full panic mode. _'What is taking that idiot so long?! I told him to meet me back here! What could possibly be more important than this?'_

Eventually, her concern for her teammate convinced her to search for Naruto. Sakura ghosted over to where she designated for Naruto to set his traps. She cautiously approached, eager to find her partner and knock some sense into him for forgetting about the plan and making her worry. She slowly moved out into the clearing to investigate, and screamed at what she saw.

On the ground next to a hastily made trap was Naruto's Leaf headband with a slash through the center, next to the threatening letter, claiming his capture.

**End Flashback**

"So once you doubled back to where Naruto had set the trap, you found the written threat and his headband? Why didn't you say anything?" Temari asked angrily.

"Because I left him behind! I could feel that something was wrong and I let him go anyway! I can't look out for my comrades, and I'm worse than trash!" Sakura began to sob. "First Sasuke, and now Naruto. I really am useless..."

Temari snapped, and forcefully yanked Sakura by her hair so that their noses almost touched. "All right, Sakura. Get a hold of yourself! I'm only going to say this once. So listen well. Got it?"

Sakura was too stunned at the moment to speak, so she just nodded in affirmation.

"Good. Just because you may have made a mistake does not mean that you have to hide your shame and beat yourself up about it in secret. It is perfectly fine to admit a mistake. It's not easy to say 'I really screwed that one up', but you need to get a hold of yourself and at least act the part of a proper kunoichi. Your friend is counting on you, and how will you be able to help him like this?" she questioned sternly.

"I... I wouldn't be of any use," she whispered.

"Right! So you need to put your big girl pants on, and be the Sakura who saved my brothers and helped kick the crap out of Sasori. That is the Sakura that Naruto needs right now, not some scared little girl who is afraid to make mistakes and throw pity parties all over herself. We all need you at your best tomorrow," Temari said as she released her grip on Sakura's pink hair.

The chuunin sniffled. "Thanks. I needed that, Temari. I just feel so guilty right now." Sakura looked back up at Temari with a confident expression. "We're going to save him, Temari."

The blonde jonin smiled. "Now that's more like it. Don't worry, this is going to be a piece of cake. And you'll have to get in line behind Gaara if you want to save Naruto. Now get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us if today was any indication."

Temari turned back around. "Oh. And if you want to do girl talk after all this blows over, I'd like that."

Sakura blinked. "You want to do girl talk?" she asked incredulously.

Temari rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, yeah. I don't get to talk much with the kunoichi of my village since I'm Gaara's sister. Anyway, go to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Sakura."

"Night..." said Sakura sleepily as she shimmied into her sleeping bag.

The wind mistress turned and dragged her feet back to her sleeping area and stubbed her toe on what she thought was a rock.

"Hey! Trying to sleep here!" the rock cried.

"Own... Shut up Kankuro." The kunoichi fell onto her sleeping bag and fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Five exhausted shinobi arrived in Konoha the next evening, led by one very alert Kazekage. Gaara had directed everyone to take a soldier pill that morning so their bodies wouldn't tire out as fast, but it seemed it had achieved little effect. All of his companions were barely holding on. Still, they had cut a whole day off of the trip thanks to his extreme pace.

After they checked in at the gate, they all headed towards the Hokage's mansion. As they walked, a thought struck Gaara. He approached Kakashi.

"What can you tell me about this new Hokage of yours? I like to know what I'm getting into," the redhead inquired.

Kakashi sighed, then began. "Lady Tsunade is in a coma currently, and we don't know if she'll wake up anytime soon. So with that reasoning, the council saw fit to appoint a new Hokage, Shimura Danzo. He leads the ANBU of our village and has for as long as I can remember, and has always been militaristic in his policies. Sometimes overly so. He has an unassuming appearance, so don't let that fool you. Danzo is a dangerous man, even without his ANBU. As far as I know, he has always been extremely loyal to Konoha, even if his policies are sometimes abrasive and militaristic. Although, with his new abilities as Hokage, I think he may lose sight of Konoha's best interests."

Gaara processed the potentially damning information. "Why are you telling me all of this?" he asked.

"Because you asked, Kazekage. And if you go meet Danzo with the proper mindset and knowledge, we will hopefully be able to search for Naruto with minimal interference from the ANBU. Plus, I was ANBU once, and he makes a terrible boss."

The young Kage swore he could have seen a smirk under Kakashi's mask, but he dismissed it as a trick of the low light.

"Thank you. I'll take it under advisement," he replied gruffly.

They came upon the Hokage's office, which still had a little light emanating from the windows.

_Doesn't surprise me a bit that he is still working late. Konoha is rebuilding after the devastation brought on by Pein, _Gaara thought.

Kakashi knocked on the door twice.

"Enter," a gravelly voice replied.

The shorthanded team seven squeezed through the door first, followed closely by the Sand Siblings.

Gaara's first impression of Danzo was that he was not anyone to be trifled with. He was old, seeming to be around sixty to sixty-five. Bad ninjas didn't live that long. The second thing he noticed were the bandages around his right arm and head, also covering one eye. Gaara wondered if the man was hiding some sort of ability under the bandages. Then he checked his thoughts. He was here to rescue Naruto, not size up the new Hokage.

Kakashi spoke. "We are happy to report a mission success, Hokage-sama. The Kazekage has agreed to lend us his aid."

"And we are glad to have it," replied Danzo smoothly. "You made it here earlier than I anticipated, Kakashi. I hope the trip was not too bad. Go get some rest. Your team is dismissed, but report back here tomorrow at 1000."

"Yes Hokage-sama. Come on Sakura, Sai, let's go. He led his subordinates to the door and took a slight glance at Gaara.

_'Do you want me to stay?' _Kakashi's look seemed to say.

Gaara shook his head. _'I understand the_ _situation_.'

Kakashi shrugged, and followed his team out, leaving the trio alone with Danzo. Well, not truly alone, as there were four hidden ANBU waiting in the shadows in case of any incident.

The red-haired Kage stepped forward and addressed Danzo. "I received your message, and we are here to help. I wish we could have met under happier circumstances, but that will have to wait. We are here to lend our strength to help Naruto."

Danzo sized up the Kazekage. He seemed very driven to help Naruto, most likely the byproduct of being one of the only other Jinchuuriki in the Elemental Nations. The bandaged Kage stared into Gaara's eyes, probing for any trace of deceit, but finding none. It never hurt to be doubly sure of one's intentions, as Danzo had learned.

The ANBU leader rose from his desk, knocking over some paperwork in the process. He cursed quietly, then spoke. "I have teams of three trying to find him currently. Since you are here as a team, I'd like to have you supplement one of the teams working tracking down Naruto. You'll meet them tomorrow. That's not a problem is it?" he said, shooting a scathing glare at Gaara in the process.

The room became completely saturated with killer intent.

The hidden ANBU all made various hand signs, preparing for a battle.

Temari gripped her war fan tighter while Kankuro silently activated chakra strings on his right hand.

Gaara simply stared right back, unperturbed. "No. It will not. However, remember that I am here to help, Danzo. We are on the same side. At least for the moment." he replied coolly.

Danzo nodded. _At least this upstart knows how to handle himself. There is nothing I hate more that working with amateurs._ "Very well then, I have a team in mind that you could reinforce. I'll have them meet you at the gate at 0900. Now, I still have more of this paperwork to do, so please leave."

With the mention of paperwork, the situation diffused almost instantly. Gaara nodded and the trio from the Suna left Danzo's office without so much as a parting remark.

After they had reached the downtown district, Kankuro burst into a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Temari questioned angrily.

Kankuro didn't stop laughing, so the wind mistress started smacked him with her fan.

"Haha ow. Hahaha... ok OW. Haha..."

The puppet master finally regained his composure after a minute.

"It's just that Danzo tried to play mind games with Gaara. No one in their right mind tries to get in Gaara's head," he snickered.

Temari nodded, conceding the point.

"Plus, he still has to do paperwork," Gaara chimed in.

They were all silent for a moment before they all burst into laughter.

After thirty seconds of amusement, Temari calmed herself down enough to speak.

"All right, all right. Let's go find a place to sleep. I'm beat," Temari said tiredly.

"Me too," Kankuro agreed.

They found an inn after a little wandering. Once inside their room, Temari and Kankuro fell asleep almost instantly.

Gaara simply laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking of his friend and hoping he was ok.

* * *

**If you have any quesions or suggestions, don't hesitate to send me a message or write a review. Seriously, I need some feedback so I can improve.**

**Steeltoedsandal out**


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